So my city has a big art benefit auction called "Art for Arthritis" every year, to raise money for juvenile arthritis research. Local artists are paired with a child who has juvenile arthritis, and they create a piece together to be auctioned off at a big fancy gala with all the city bigwigs. This is my second year as a mentor artist for the event, and it's a lot of fun.

This year, my mentoree artist and I created a lacework papercutting of a map of our city, Wichita, KS, entitled "Home, Sweet Home." The benefit auction was last night, and it took the second highest bid of the night, with an outright bidding war! Anyway, this took us about 20 hours, and over 100 x-acto blades (the tips kept snapping off). Most of the streets are 1-2mm wide, and the whole thing was as delicate as a spiderweb when it was done.

We mounted it on a large watercolor background that we did using a lot of water and a lot of pigment, letting the colors flow and blend without brushstrokes. We used shades of red and orange to reflect the colors of the city flag and the patina of our iconic Keeper of the Plains, by Blackbear Bosin (a 44-foot metal American Indian sculpture that stands guard over us at the city center, a symbol of our city). The finished piece is 18"x24", and 28"x32" framed, with a red and grey double mat. Stay tuned for process pics!

We drew the map out, using Google Maps as a reference. You'll notice that we drew it backwards, so that when we cut it, the clean side would face the right way. Bonus kitty helping.

Started from the center outward, saving the big pieces for last.

My mentoree artist, working hard! She just turned 13, and is such an articulate, intelligent, thoughtful young lady. This is our second year working together, and we've had such a great time.

All cut out! We just loved how it turned out- you can see the cloverleafs on the highways and the rivers, with the big stripe across the middle and up and down the center US-54 and I-135 respectively; all the random white squares are some of the larger parks, and the two masses on the bottom left and right are Mid-Continent Airport and McConnell AFB, respectively.

This is the most accurate pic of the watercolor backing, I couldn't seem to get a good pic of the color once it was framed and glass in the way.

Honestly. If I didn't love my mother so much, I'd ask you to adopt me. Your work just keeps drawing me back over and over again. The very first thing of your I saw on here was Titania and Oberon, then the Seasons set. And then I saw all the Sentient Machinery ones. All got me really interested in watercolor and latex resist, both of which I use very often now.

Then I saw the exhibit for last year's (I think?) Art for Arthritis, which I thought was fantastic.

You also did that mini tut Daft Punk one, and I actually used that technique for a piece that is going to a local art show on the 12th, white pen and all. I mean to credit you in the post when I get a thread put up

And then when I thought it couldn't get any awesomer, you made that FRIGGIN' SWEET arc reactor. I WANT!!!!

Now this, another wonderful example of your skills and virtues. I love that you help out with this event. I could only hope to do something like it someday.

Seriously, you are a complete inspiration for me and definitely one of my favorite Craftsters and artists

leather and lace OMG. OMG! You need to realize that I literally (LITERALLY) just ran a lap around the house squealing! I'm completely honored and flabbergasted and humbled that you've followed my work through all this time! I can't even express how much it means to me that anyone finds my stuff appealing enough to remember, let alone inspiring. Thank you, thank you so much for your kind words. I do hope you'll share your paintings soon, I can't wait to see!

yoopidou Thanks! We took a lot of breaks, and did the work over several sessions, so it was definitely manageable. She was really a trooper, though. She just picks up on technique so fast, you can't even tell which parts she did and which parts I did.